Common Ground celebrates community gardens in Kalamazoo county

Courtesy PhotoVine Neighborhood Association Executive Director Steve Walsh, with his children Luna and Tommy, shown accepting a grant and garden sign on behalf of the Vine Neighborhood Community Garden.

More than 100 people attended the Common Ground "Very Open House," a celebration of community gardens in Kalamazoo County. The event took place
Saturday, April 21 at the Garden Resource Shed, at 1519 East Michigan Avenue in
Kalamazoo.

Guests shared food, friendship and
gardening tips, and many people took home plants for their own gardens.

The Garden Resource Shed is now available to all community gardeners, providing
free use of garden tools and equipment ranging from hoes, shovels and rakes to
rototillers and lawn mowers.

Regular hours for the shed are 8:30-10:30 a.m. on
Saturdays and 4-6 p.m. on Wednesdays (beginning May 5).

A plant and seed
giveaway is scheduled for Wednesday, May 16, with first priority given to
community gardeners.
As part of the open house celebration, 15 garden projects received grants
ranging from $223 to $712 to support their work in growing food for friends and
neighbors this season. Those recipients are:

Funding for Common Ground has been provided by
the Lifeline Fund, a cooperative effort of the Greater Kalamazoo United Way and
the Kalamazoo Community Foundation. The project also received equipment
donations from Lowe's (5125 West Main Street, Kalamazoo) and plants from DeLano
Farms (part of the Kalamazoo Nature Center).

Common Ground is a collaboration of Fair Food Matters, the Kalamazoo County
Land Bank, Kalamazoo County MSU Extension/Master Gardeners and the Kalamazoo
Nature Center. Its goal is to support community garden projects throughout
Kalamazoo County, with a special emphasis on those that serve low-income
residents.